Just a few bullet points on my earlier post about Wegmans to clarify my opinions:
- I SUPPORT the preservation of Admiral’s Row
- The new locally-owned stores opening look amazing, and many of us will shop there (OMGfishandbreadatProvisions!)
- These same stores are not nearby the public housing residents and many of them are selling specialty, more expensive items (instead of things like paper towels and basic cereal)
- The point of the supermarket in the Navy Yard is to serve these populations, as they do not have a store nearby for basic necessities
- The politicos are pretty much set on providing a comprehensive supermarket in the Navy Yard for these populations
- If our neighborhood will HAVE to be home to a new supermarket, why not work with local officials to bring a GOOD store in, that serves ALL populations of the neighborhood, offers reasonable prices, is a company dedicated to the neighborhoods they operate out of and that provides quality job opps for locals?
- High-end grocers are not serving the public housing populations (which is fine, but point being those residents have needs that need to be met)
To all those who emailed me about Wegmans, I will send out an email this weekend!
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21 Comments
Is a Wegman’s even a possibility? Their closest stores to NYC are in Woodbridge and Bridgewater. Have they ever shown an inlinking for a NY Metro area store?
I agree that they’re a fantastic grocery store and would love to see one here.
I’ll add that while I shop and support smaller mom and pop businesses that provide quality products the anti-corporate obsession that these threads often take sounds like something from middle school. Shop where you get what you want for the money you want to pay its as simple as that.
Except that shopping at chain stores headquartered outside New York City means you are losing money for the city. In the long run it makes more sence to keep as much money in the city as possible. There is a downside to buying cheap goods.
so “Clinton Hill Blog” has decided to make some clarifications. thanks for the bullet points, and thanks for representing Clinton Hill so democratically. enjoy yourself and you awesome blog!!!
We won’t really know if attracting Wegmans to this development venture is a real possibility unless and until we approach them.
To answer an earlier comment, no, it’s not just as simple as contacting a corporation and “asking” them to open a new location in a particular area. Much around those type of decisions is dependent upon demographic analysis (which I would think we would have overwhelmingly in our favor), a company’s own supply and distribution chains and warehousing capabilities, not to mention union rules and local labor laws, which do come into play as far as I know in the retail grocery business in the City.
But what’s the worst that can happen, they politely decline for various reasons and say, “no, thanks,” or “no, we can’t pursue such a project at this time?”
One thing is for certain, the issue of being under-served by retail grocers affects ALL of us in Clinton Hill/Fort Greene/Wallabout, no matter what your place in the economic and social spectrum. We’ve all gotta eat, and better choices for food make for better and healthier lives for all of us (and that includes being able to patronize smaller businesses as well). If you’ve lived here for even a short length of time, the need is universal for every one of us.
Here’s what my wife received back after she contacted them:
“We received your e-mail asking that we build a Wegmans store near your
community. Thank you! We take that as a compliment and will share
your request with our long range planning committee.
You may be surprised to learn that we open just two or three new stores
a year. That gives us plenty of time to invest in training our people.
What follows is a list of planned stores, which for the most part, do
not as yet have defined construction schedules.
Confirmed Opening Dates:
Woodbridge, VA, Summer 2008
Opening Dates Yet to Be Determined:
Malvern, PA
Leesburg, VA
Lake Manassas, VA
Frederick, MD
Crofton, MD
Landover, MD
Columbia, MD
Fredericksburg, VA
Collegeville, PA
Project On Hold for Future Consideration:
Turnersville, NJ
Thank you, again, for taking the time to share your request.”
Kim
Wegmans Consumer Affairs Department
@ user01 … with an attitude such as this:
“Except that shopping at chain stores headquartered outside New York City means you are losing money for the city. In the long run it makes more sence to keep as much money in the city as possible. There is a downside to buying cheap goods.”
I’m sure you don’t buy anything EVER that wasn’t grown, made or produced right here in NYC. I find that kind of doubtful.
I am surprised that you think working at a supermarket is a quality job opportunity. Is that only applicable to “locals”?
What the hell is wrong with working at a supermarket? My friend is produce manager at a grocery and supports a wife and two children.
I am curious why the Associated supermarket on Myrtle at the corner of Hall street hasn’t been mentioned. They have organic meat, lots of organic foods and they serve all of the population. Why does there have to be a grocery store in the Navy Yard? There’s a lot of food stores on Myrtle near the public housing. And if there were to be a new supermarket why couldn’t it be somewhere a little more central to the neighborhood than the Navy Yard? What a drag to have to “drag” oneself and one’s cart down to the Navy Yard. And then is there going to be a giant parking lot for all the giant gas guzzlers from all around? And if people with cars can drive to the Fairway in Redhook or the godforsaken Pathmark near Lowes isn’t that enough for them?
Also, high end will be when a Whole Foods or Balducci’s type of place ends up in Clinton Hill no? Or something like a Balthazar or Dean and Deluca where the service is pretty good and even sort of quick. Also, in a “high end” place there seems to be a consistency in quality and selection that I have yet to see in any of the Clinton Hill supermarkets. I’m perfectly happy with the Associated mind you, I’m just not accepting the definition of high end I’m seeing here on this blog.
Last, there’s the farmers market on Saturdays in Fort Greene, why not focus on supporting and expanding that into something even bigger and better?
Mildredb
You are missing the point of the purpose of allowing a grocer ( regardless if which one) to operate in the Navy Yards.
There is polictical support for this development because it is a “benfit” to the residents of the public housing that surrounds the Navy Yard,
The Navy Yards are centrally located for residents of the public housing and anyone who lives on that edge of Fort Greene/Wallabout- which incidently has no food shopping ammenities except bodegas and a small Bravo on Myrtle near Carlton
And your point Limestone? Are you saying because the market is set in such a way as to make a “complete local” economic model difficuilt if not impossible we should be willfully ignorant of the market forces and our role in it?
Dude, I’m saying you should get a grip on reality. That’s all.
Do you only eat produce that was grown in Brooklyn? Meat and dairy products from the farms in Manhattan?
I have on occasion shopped in the Western Beef on the other side of Prospect Park. A “Poor Peoples” market if ever there was one. You would not recognize half the brands, cuts of meat etc. No way is one market going to serve all the people.
So you are saying we should always buy the cheapest option and that supporting local business has no value? That is what was being commented on.
It strikes me as very odd that you are reading a blog such as this with that attitude.
FYI :
Here are a few stats for the numbers we are talking for the Public Housing next to the Navy yard…
Whitman Housing built 1944: 1,652 apts. 2,485 people.
Ingersoll Housing built 1944: 1,823 apts. 2,640 people.
Farragut Housing built 1952: 1,389 apts. 3,406 people.
Thas a Total of 8,531 people ! These stats came from the offical NYCgov housing web page.
http://gis.nyc.gov/nycha/im/AddressMap.do
ps…thats a lot O food.
I support and echo Kyle’s earlier comment.
“Shop where you get what you want for the money you want to pay its as simple as that.”
And “a blog such as this with that attitude”? OK dude.
When I buy my groceries I would like to get some value and quality for the money I spend. Getting poor quality produce or dairy products that seem to go bad long before the expiration date is not my idea of value and quality.
If bringing in a major player in the grocery market like Wegmans (a non-union company BTW) helps me do that then I’m all in favor of it. If it means that they will also be able to provide good quality products at competitive prices for those people who don’t have the ability or wherewithal to travel great distances for their provisions then I’m also in favor of that.
And if that company provides a lot of quality, well-paying jobs for members of the local community than I am very much in favor of that.
How does Wegmans remain a non-union company? They pay better wages and they have better benefits than the unionized grocery chains all the while providing their customers with quality products at competitive prices. Heck they also provide their part-time HS employees with opportunities for scholarships.
We’re not talking Wal-Mart here. Wegmans is a very reputable company
Wegmans is a dead issue then. I can’t imagine why they, a non union shop would be interested in NYC.
“Wegmans is a dead issue then. I can’t imagine why they, a non union shop would be interested in NYC.”
One reason: MARKET SHARE. New York City is the biggest consumer market in the country, and it’s needs cut across the entire spectrum of consumer-spending ability. Even a modest slice of the market is profitable for most companies to do business here, because of the sheer volume of spending.
It’s also why so many companies get away with offering mediocre products and services and still manage to stay in business, and in some cases, thrive. The sheer size of the market here means SOMEONE has to service consumer needs, and often convenience and local presence trumps quality of product and service, for the simple fact that if you can put goods and services in people’s hands, you can make a living.
As far as union vs. non-union shops go, it’s so simple as to be able to just open up and do business in union territory. Unions still hold powerful sway in NYC, and doing business here can be difficult for people that run non-union shops.
we are moving to macon Georgia soon. and we really love your store we use the potomac mills location, since you dont have one yet in fredricksburg, but any plans to go to georgia? we will miss you if you dont, hint hint (macon area)
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